A Woman Holding a Fan 1924

Ito Shinsui’s "A Woman Holding a Fan" is a woodblock print, and the process of applying colour and pattern, layer after layer is totally evident. Look at the way her kimono drapes; you can almost feel the weight of the fabric in those subtle gradations of ink. The blacks aren't just black; they're built up, modulated, giving depth to what could have been a flat surface. It’s like Shinsui is thinking through the material itself. The way he renders the fan too, suggesting transparency and opacity. It's a delicate balance. It reminds me a little of how James McNeill Whistler worked with tone and nuance, finding beauty in the understated. Art isn't always about shouting; sometimes, it whispers, inviting you to lean in and listen closely. It's this embrace of ambiguity, this openness to multiple readings, that makes art so endlessly fascinating.